Strengths and weaknesses of computer science degrees: The perception from European students

Purpose: The following investigation aims to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the computer science degree from the part of students. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents the results of a quantitative investigation that sheds light on student’s motivations to pursue or reject computer science. Findings: The study identified the reasons that cause this rejection and suggest them as opportunities to enhance the domain in the future. Practical implications: This study is a preliminary phase of a larger research goal which aims to identify the strategies presented to computer science education using technology to foster interest in the domain among students and professionals in Europe. Originality/value: The declining number of computer science students in Europe is producing negative consequences in the technology field that affect other sectors like the economic and educational ones. In order to analyze this situation and in view of providing solutions to stop the decline, it is primordial to understand the reasons that retain students to choose this domain of study or that attract and retain them in the field.Peer Reviewe

The impact of the strategic factor in knowledge management projects in the consulting industry

Los proyectos de Gestión del Conocimiento en el sector de la consultoría se han convertido en una necesidad para conseguir ventajas competitivas sostenibles en el tiempo. Entre todos los factores que influyen en el éxito de un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento, los factores estratégicos tienen un peso decisivo según la literatura existente. A pesar de que muchos estudios anteriores han destacado el papel del factor estratégico para lograr el éxito de un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento, pocos lo han cuantificado. El objetivo de este artículo se centra, en identificar los elementos que configuran el factor estratégico y de cuantificar su contribución en la maximización de beneficios. La metodología de la investigación se basa en los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales para validar las hipótesis. Los resultados confirman la importancia de la dimensión estratégica en un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento en las empresas de consultoríaThe projects of Knowledge Management in the consulting industry have become a necessity to obtain sustainable competitive advantages. Between all the factors that influence in the success of a Knowledge Management project, the strategic ones have a decisive weight according to existing literature. Although many studies raise the issue of strategy’s influence on Knowledge Management success, few have measured them. This paper aims to identify the elements that configure the strategic dimension and measure its contribution in order to maximize the profit. The research methodology is based on a Structural Equation Model to validate the hypothesis. The findings highlight the huge influence of strategy in Knowledge Management project’s success in the consultancy industryPeer Reviewe

Modelo de sistema basado en los factores clave para el diseño e implementación de proyectos de Gestión del Conocimiento. Aplicación al sector de la consultoría

El objetivo principal de esta Tesis Doctoral es construir un modelo para el diseño e implementación de proyectos de Gestión del Conocimiento basado en los factores clave en el sector de la consultoría en Catalunya. La investigación está estructurada en cuatro grandes bloques:El primer bloque (Bloque I) titulado "Introducción y estado del arte" consta de dos partes. La primera de ellas es una introducción general al trabajo, donde se detallan la justificación y los objetivos de la investigación, la metodología de trabajo y la aportación original de la Tesis. La segunda parte describe el estado del arte que proporciona el marco teórico de la investigación tras la revisión de la bibliografía consultada. Se tratan los conceptos básicos y la revisión de los modelos de esta disciplina, además de realizar un análisis del sector de la consultoría. Por último, se plantean las hipótesis de la investigación.El segundo bloque (Bloque II) trata de la contrastación de los factores clave de un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento en una empresa consultora. En primer lugar, se explica cómo se ha desarrollado la investigación empírica a través de las encuestas y el tratamiento estadístico posterior. El modelo teórico utilizado se basa en el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, ampliamente utilizado para conocer relaciones causales entre variables. En segundo lugar se realiza la contrastación de cada una de las hipótesis planteadas.El tercer bloque (Bloque III) propone el diseño del modelo del proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento en una empresa consultora basado en los factores clave identificados. El último bloque (Bloque IV), desarrolla las conclusiones e implicaciones de la Tesis Doctoral. Además, se explican líneas de investigación futuras que se abren con esta investigación. Por último se detalla la bibliografía utilizada en la Tesis Doctoral. Tras la revisión de la literatura existente y de la investigación empírica realizada, se concluye que los factores clave de éxito se pueden agregar en tres grupos, que son los estratégicos, tecnológicos y culturales. En primer lugar, están los factores estratégicos que son aquellos que garantizan que el proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento esté concebido desde una perspectiva estratégica y al que la dirección de la compañía dé todo el apoyo de una forma expresa, pública y real. Por otro lado, la dirección debe procurar una flexibilidad en la estructura de la empresa para que las personas tengan la libertad y autonomía suficiente para desarrollar su trabajo de manera profesional. Además, los proyectos de Gestión del Conocimiento en las empresas consultoras pueden ser aprovechados por la dirección de la empresa para reorientar el rumbo de ésta. Es decir, actúan de soporte para reorientar la visión, misión y valores de la compañía y alcanzar de este modo los objetivos establecidos.En segundo lugar, una buena elección e implantación de la tecnología permitirá obtener beneficios importantes para la organización. En la actualidad, la tecnología permite realizar múltiples trabajos y de diferentes modos y maneras. Un aspecto fundamental es que la empresa elija, dentro de la variedad existente en el extenso mercado tecnológico, la herramienta que solucione la problemática de la empresa consultora y que sea adecuada y proporcionada. Es indiscutible que uno de los facilitadores para implementar de manera eficiente un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento son las tecnologías de la información.En tercer lugar, están los factores culturales, entendidos como aquellos valores que son compartidos por la organización y determinan el modo de funcionar de la empresa. Estos valores deben fomentar la colaboración entre las personas, la confianza en la transmisión de conocimientos y la cooperación entre sus miembros. Sin todos estos aspectos la incidencia positiva de un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento en una empresa consultora será menor de lo esperado.Con este estudio se quiere aportar a esta línea de investigación un mayor soporte empírico Los trabajos previos sugieren una relación positiva entre los factores clave y el éxito del proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento, pero ninguno lo relaciona cuantitativamente y este punto es una aportación original en esta materia. Esta investigación, pues, ofrece una metodología innovadora dentro del estudio de los factores clave de éxito de un proyecto de Gestión del Conocimiento.The main objective of this Doctoral Thesis is to build a model for the design and implementation of Knowledge Management projects based on the critical success factors in the sector of the consultancy in Catalonia. The investigation is structured in four main blocks: The first block (Block I) entitled "Introduction and literature review" consists of two parts. The former gives a general introduction to the work, which includes the research justification and its objectives, the used methodology and the results of this thesis. The later describes the state of the art, which provides a theoretical frame of the research and it introduces the hypotheses of the investigation. The second block (Block II) contrasts the critical success factors of a Knowledge Management project in a consulting company. First, the empirical investigation based on surveys is explained, as well as the subsequent statistical treatment. This data is used by the theoretical model, which is a structural equation model, widely used to know causal relations between variables. The results of this model are the relations of the critical success factors. Next, each of the presented hypotheses is compared. The third block (Block III) proposes the design and methodology of a Knowledge Management project in a consulting company based on the critical success factors obtained previously. The last block (Block IV), concludes the Thesis by wrapping the results and summarizing the most important findings. In addition, this part proposes future research topics, which have been left open after the performed research. Lastly, the detailed biography used in this thesis is given.Based on the literature review and the performed empirical investigation, it can be concluded that the critical success factors can be grouped in three groups: strategic, technological and the cultural ones: The strategic factors guarantee that the Knowledge Management projects are conceived from a strategic perspective. The senior management should fully support them in an express, public, and real way. Furthermore, the management should also offer a flexible organisational structure, so that the people can have enough freedom and autonomy to develop their own work in a professional way. Furthermore, the Knowledge Management projects in consulting companies can be useful to reorient the vision, mission and values of the companies.Concerning the technological factors, it can be concluded that a good election and implantation of the technology helps obtaining important benefits for the organization. At the present time, technology allows making diverse tasks in different ways. A fundamental aspect for a company to achieve high benefits, is that it is able to choose, among the extensive technological market, the tool that solves the specific consulting company problem in a proportional and adequate way. It is indisputable that one of the key enablers for implementing efficiently Knowledge Management project is information technologies.The cultural factors, which are those values that are shared by the organization, determine the way the company works. These values must encourage the collaboration between people, the confidence in the knowledge exchange and the cooperation between their members. Without all these aspects, the positive incidence of a Knowledge Management project in a consultant company would be significantly less than expected. With this study we aimed at contributing the empirical support to confirm the importance of these factors. Previous work suggested a positive relation between the critical success factors and the success of a Knowledge Management project, but none related in a quantitative way as presented in this thesis. Thus, this investigation offers an innovating methodology within the study of the success factors in a Knowledge Management project in the consulting firms to achieve the maximum success

The impact of employee empowerment on organisational performance: The mediating role of employee engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour

Purpose: This study assesses the mediating role of employee engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour in the relationship between employee empowerment (structural, psychological) and organisational performance in non-commercial banks in Ghana.Design/methodology: A structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypothesis based on 304 employees selected from eight non-commercial banks in the Bono Region, Ghana.Findings: Neither structural nor psychological empowerment are a direct contributor to organisational performance but they positively influence organisational citizenship behaviour and employee engagement. Employee engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour show no effect on organisational performance. Organisational citizenship behaviour was also found to be a significant mediator in the relationship between employee empowerment (structural and psychological) and organisational performance but employee engagement is not a significant mediator.Practical implications: The study offers managers information to help deal with absenteeism, increase employee psychological health, promote better home life, improve employee retention and increase job satisfaction. Practitioners are offered insights to help involve their employees in decision-making and offer them the freedom to act on their own. Finally, practically, the results reveal the need to retain employees who have organisational citizenship behaviour to improve performance.Originality/value: The study serves two purposes: as a confirmatory and as a hypothesised model. The confirmatory model entails goodness of fit and chi-square test. The hypothesised model relies on examining the interactions among structural and psychological empowerment, organisational citizenship behaviour, employee engagement and organisational performance in a developing econom

Work-life balance and its relationship with organizational pride and job satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between job autonomy, work-life balance, organizational pride and job satisfaction. When evaluating employee worklife balance the present paper takes into consideration both employer and employee support. Design/methodology/approach – To verify the hypothesis proposed a questionnaire survey in a Spanish pharmaceutical organisation was used to collect data. 374 responses were obtained. The STATA and EQS statistical programs were used for the data analysis. Findings – Regarding the causal model proposed, the data confirm the relationship between the constructs analysed. Results support the hypothesized influences of employer work-life balance support and autonomy on employee work-life balance support to other employees. As well, employee work-life balance is positively related with organizational pride, and finally, related to job satisfaction. Practical implications – This study provides a useful measurement model that employers and employees can use to evaluate and improve work-life balance. Companies should pay attention to job autonomy and work-life balance in order to enhance organizational pride and job satisfaction. Our research tries to help companies more effectively use their human capital resources. Originality/value – The article addresses gaps in the current literature in work-life, organizational pride, and job satisfaction. Results may serve as the criteria for managers to better enhance employee work-life balance in organizations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A review of forecasting models for new products

Purpose. The main objective of this article is to present an up-to-date review of new product forecasting techniques. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of forecasting journals was carried out using the ISI-Web of Knowledge database. Several articles were retrieved and examined, and forecasting techniques relevant to this study were selected and assessed. Findings: The strengths, weaknesses and applications of the main forecasting models are discussed to examine trends and set future challenges. Research limitations/implications: A theoretical reference framework for forecasting techniques classified into judgmental, consumer/market research, cause-effect and artificial intelligence is proposed. Future research can assess these models qualitatively. Practical implications: Companies are currently motivated to launch new products and thus attract new customers to expand their market share. In order to reduce uncertainty and risk, many companies go to extra lengths to forecast sales accurately using several techniques. Originality/value: This article outlines new lines of research on the improvement of new product performance which will aid managers in decision making and allow companies to sustain their competitive advantages in this challenging world.Peer Reviewe

Antecedents of employee job satisfaction: Do they matter?

This research investigates the collective effect of (1) the employee–organization relationship, (2) the employee–supervisor relationship, and (3) the employee–coworker relationship on employee job satisfaction. The empirical application considers a data sample comprising 374 valid observations and uses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) in its fuzzy set variant to test the model. A second-stage analysis compares the results with the results of alternative methodologies. The findings reveal that three different paths explain job satisfaction: (1) teamwork, identification with the strategy, and the absence of employee work–family balance; (2) employee work–family balance, autonomy, and identification with the strategy; and (3) supervisor support and identification with the strategy. The study concludes with a discussion of managerial applications.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Impact of mission statement components on social enterprises’ performance

Social enterprises mix economic and social objectives, forming a bridge between non-profit and profit enterprises. Mission statements are a strategic tool that can provide a company with a purpose of being, a “being” that communicates the core of the business to internal and external stakeholders. In this paper we aim to investigate the link between mission statements and performance in social enterprises. The sample includes 39 social enterprises located in Spain. Our findings indicate that those firms for which the mission statement explicitly considers the customers and the product/service offer are more likely to exhibit higher economic performance.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Staffing policies of leading professional service firms

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence of the staffing policies associated with the characteristics of the two basic types of organisational configurations identified by Institutional theory (Professional Partnership and Managed Professional Business), or conversely, if they have been evolving as a consequence of contextual factors and trends. Design/methodology/approach: Exploratory research was performed through the case study method. Six case studies were conducted in Spanish affiliates of leading multinational management consulting firms. Findings: Our analysis revealed that the staffing policies and practices of the companies differ significantly. It was further deduced that the origin of companies and the practice of activities other than business consulting could influence their staffing policies. It is concluded that mixed models do exist nowadays and that the origin of companies largely determines their policies. Research limitations/implications: Cultural factors among countries could influence HRM policies and practices. Furthermore, the size of companies could determine (or limit) the implementation of certain staffing policies. The study could be extended to a sample of consulting companies of various sizes and countries to enrich the results Practical implications: For HR managers, knowing the staffing policies at these major companies is a benchmark of HRM effectiveness to be applied to their own companies. In particular, these cases are relevant for other knowledge intensive organizations. Originality/value: The paper provides current empirical evidence on the HRM staffing policies of leading consulting firms and their evolutionPeer Reviewe

Antecedents of online purchasing behaviour in the tourism sector

Purpose – The aim of the paper is twofold. First, it investigates antecedents of on-line purchasing behavior, taking into account the relationships between the constructs of service quality, perceived value and loyalty. Second, the study analyses up to what point men’s and women’s behaviors are similar. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was sent to the general public in Spain. Respondents were required to be consumers of online travel agencies. 1201 valid questionnaires were collected. No gender bias was detected in the sample. The data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to assess the proposed model. To determine non-invariant parameters across the two groups (men and women), a test for invariance was conducted. Findings – Both functional quality and hedonic quality are shown as antecedents for perceived value, and, in turn, perceived value impacts loyalty. The impact of loyalty on purchasing behavior is significant, though weak. Gender differences are also examined and all parameters of the model are found to operate equivalently among men and women, indicating that both groups perform similarly. Practical implications – This paper highlights that the hedonic dimension of quality is important in adding value for customers. Accordingly, managers should reinforce this dimension and include it in their business strategy. Originality/value – Although the link between perceived quality and value-loyalty is well-established, there are still few studies that expand this link upstream or downstream. This paper analyzes the next link in this chain.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft